Uzile Mkwananzi, Sunday Life Reporter
TWO Bulawayo young men hoisted the country’s flag high when they took part in the World Universities Debating Championships 2023 that ran from the 27th of December 2023 and ended on Friday in Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam.
Methembe Mthimkhulu and Banele Ntuta from the University of Zimbabwe were selected to represent The Royalty Pact Debate Academy in the World Universities Debating Championship hosted in Vietnam.
The two, however, did not travel to Vietnam but participated online.
The Royalty Pact Debate Academy is an internationally recognised organisation that is also the official host for African Nations Debating League. The academy is also mother to the Zimbabwe National Debate team currently the best in Africa after reaching the quarter-finals at the World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC) in Vietnam early this year.
“We couldn’t make it to the quarter-final of the tournament. We faced a lot of challenges as an online team competing with teams which were there physically. From technical issues of audibility, we couldn’t outrank teams that had direct communication with adjudicators. The tab that will inform us of all rankings isn’t out yet, but yeah we did not qualify for the quarter-final rounds,” said Mthimkhulu.
The two said although they could not make it to the quarter-final stage they felt honoured to take part in such a grand competition.
“The World Universities Debating Championships is the grandest stage for competitive debating. It is what I’d refer metaphorically as the ‘Olympics of Debating’. Participating in this tournament therefore gave us a thrill. We got a chance to debate with the best crop of debaters from all over the world, but of course the competition was tough,” said Mthimkhulu.
The two said they started debating when they were in high school just as an extra-curricular activity which grew into a passion for both of them.
Through debating, the young men have had the opportunity to travel across boarders representing their academy and university successfully.
Ntuta has had the chance to visit South Africa where he took part in the Southern African National Debate Championships 2023 hosted by The Nelson Mandela University and were crowned champions for the year 2023.
Mthimkhulu has travelled as far as Vietnam and Singapore and has also been to Botswana and South Africa representing the academy.
Ntuta and Mthimkhulu who are studying Political Science and Diplomacy and Substantive Laws (BLS) respectively pointed out how easy it is for them to balance debating and their studies as they view it as something that “aids and encourages critical thinking,” which is a necessity for students.
“Debating has an advantage for most students as it involves a lot of reading, keeping up with current issues so most of our school work contributes even into debate as we academically argue on diverse topics such as human rights, the environment, politics etc,” said Ntuta.
They said they could not travel and applied for a virtual participation as the university did not have adequate funds to cater for their travelling, food and accommodation needs.
“We would have loved to participate in person, however, we were content with the online opportunity that was granted to us. It was a learning experience for the future,” Ntuta said.
Mthimkhulu said debate was not given much attention as it should as it tackles crucial topics benefiting the country and society.
“My advice for those who might face challenges like one we faced, is that they continue debating in the means available like attending local tournaments aggressively and also registering for online tournaments. Challenges in debating are generally a lack of funding and in certain instances, a lack of prioritisation of the activity. There are numerous sports activities that are usually funded, but it’s a different issue altogether with debating. Yet, it does so much in society in grooming leaders, analysts and generally responsible citizens,” Mthimkhulu said.
Outside school and debating, Mthimkhulu is a writer with one published book titled The last drumbeat, a poetry anthology which can be bought from the author.
“I am working on another, which will be a fictional prose,” he said.
Ntuta is also a visual artist, he does portraiture, paintings and drawings. He is working towards creating a small community for young artists to be able to share art resources and create a platform where they can connect and commercialise their craft.